Progressing
by Lina Girl
Summary: A few short Arnold/Helga moments. Each are from a different time period, starting from 1rst grade and ending into adulthood.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: These are just a few Helga/Arnold moments. This starts when they were in 1rst grade, and ends in adult-hood, so there's bascically one for every age group. Hope you enjoy it. **

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**Story 1-1rst Grade**

"Olga, get up! It's time for school!," Bob yelled at Helga, impatient to get to work.

"It's Helga, dad," she whispered fiercely, yanking the covers off her small body. She took off her pink footie pajamas and replaced her night clothes with a white t-shirt and pink overalls. She fixed her blonde hair into two pigtails, and placed her signature pink ribbon between them. She glanced at the mirror, and sighed at her reflection. Every day started this way for her, whether she wanted it to or not.

She grabbed her pink backpack and jumped downstairs, expecting Miriam to be asleep, but she wasn't on the couch. When she checked the kitchen, it was empty. She saw a note on the refreigerator, and read it aloud.

"If your'e reading this, Miriam and I left early after you woke up. She went to the mall, and I left for work. You can walk to school, right? It's close, isn't it? Well, don't do anything stupid, and go to school.-Bob," she read. Her expression turned to disbelief as she read it agian.

"Schools five blocks away! How can I walk five blocks in fifteen mintues!" Sighing, Helga was about to cry, when she remebered that she wasn't a sissy, and sniffled. She remembered how late she would be, took her backpack, and ran out the front door, locking it first. The moment she stepped out, she was soaking wet. She had forgotten to bring an umbrella, in her hurry to leave her "home". She stood in anger for a minute before remembering her purpose for running in the first place. Quickly, she tried to ignore the rain beating against her light skin. She tried to run faster in her quest to not get soaked as much, but it was no use. It was as if someone had turned a hose on her, soaking even her underclothes.

She had run about two blocks, when she noticed a car following her. Frightened, she tried to run faster, but the car sped up as well. Helga spotted at an alley and ran into it, trying to hide from her follower. She heard the car stop, and a door open. She closed her eyes, ready to scream for help, when she vaguely noticed that it was no longer raining on her. Opening her eyes, she looked up, and saw an umbrella above her. She looked around for whoever was holding it, and saw that it was Arnold from her first grade class. His light blue eyes were soft and warm, giving Helga a sense of reassurence.

"Are you okay? I saw you running, and I thought that someone was after you," he spoke, his voice soft and comforting. Helga could only stare in shock at the small comfort that he had given her. Not even her parents were this nice to her, and this blonde, blue eyed boy who had never spoken to her before had given her his umbrella.

"My grandpa said that we could get you a change of clothes if you want," he spoke again, gesturing to the car. Helga only nodded her head as he led her to the backseat of the blue car.

"Hello! Short-man here told me that you were a classmate of his, so I pulled over. Are you alright?" the balding man asked, curious as to why she would be running. Helga nodded again, concious of Arnold sitting next to her and closing the door.

"Let's get her home first grandpa." Arnold called to Phil. He reached into his backpack and took out a sandwich, offering it to the shy girl. Wordlessly, she took it from him and bit into it, enjoying the flavor of the bologna and cheese. She sighed in contentment, then realized that she was with two other people. She was ready to blush in embarrasement when she realized that they weren't laughing at her or scolding her. Their expressions held that of concern, at least, that was what Helga interpretted it as. She took another bite quickly, trying to make the time go faster.

In a matter of ten mintues they were back at the boarding house, the rain turning into a slight drizzle. The three hurried throught the door, hoping to escape the cold.

"Well Helen I'll be back with a change of clothes for you. Pookie has to have some type of clothing around here somewhere," he muttered to himself, walking away. Arnold gestured for Helga to follow him into the kitchen where he poured her a glass of orange juice.

Arnold was about to give the glass of juice to Helga when she suddenly called out.

"Why?" she said, her eyes wide.

"Why what?" Arnold asked in confusion.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Helga asked, playing with her fingers.

He smiled softly at her, his eyes still holding the warmth they originally had.

"Because it was the right thing to do," he said, handing her the juice. Before Helga could ask, Phil returned with a small sweater and some blue jeans.

"Well Helen you can go to the bathroom and change, and then I'll take you both back to school," Phil told her, pointing up the stairs to where the bathroom was. Silently, Helga took the clothing and walked to the bathroom, curious as to why Arnold of all people was being so nice to her. Quickly, she took off the pink overalls and white t-shirt, and put on the soft blue sweater and dark blue jeans. They fit comfortably, and were warm. Sighing again, she picked up her soaked clothes and walked back downstairs.

"Ah, good, your ready. We can leave now. Arnold, you have her bag, right?" Phil asked, opening the door.

"Yeah gradpa, I have it," Arnold said, appearing from the kitchen. He walked ahead of Helga, holding an umbrella again. As Helga walked by him, she noticed how light his hair was, like the color of corn. Even though his head was shaped oddly, he still looked quite nice. Shaking her head, Helga ran to the car, wondering what had caused a thought like that. As Arnold closed the door and sat down next to her, she couldn't help but notice how calm he was, sitting down in a somewhat relaxed postion. She knew he was practically an orphan, but was he always this opitimistic?

Another ten minutes passed before they arrived at P.S 118 Elementary school, but no one was oustide do to the rain. Also the fact that school had started a half hour ago.

"I'll go deal with the teacher. You two just walk inside," Phil said, pushing them gently inside.

"Thank you for helping me," Helga said, staring at the floor.

"Your'e welcome," Arnold said, smiling at her. Helga felt her heart race a little, if that were possible. What had brought on all these different emotions?

"Oh, and Helga?" Arnold said, giving Helga a thrill the way he said her name. Shaking her head again to clear her thoughts, she turned to him again before hading into the classroom.

"I like your bow," he said, opening the door for her, and walking inside. Slowly, trying to understand what Arnold had just said, Helga walked inside the class slowly, her eyes wide. What was that word that Rhonda had said a few days ago, about her feelings for some cute actor? It had begun with a C, but what had followed after it?

Suddenly, as Helga watched Arnold hang his coat in his cubby, Helga realized what feelings she had for Arnold and his kindness.

The word Helga was looking for was "crush".


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: If there are any mistakes, be sure to point them out. I wasn't sure what Arnold's grandmother's name was, but I think it's Gerty. If not then I'll fix it later. Thanks to those who reviewed, and sorry it's so late. **

**Story 2-4th Grade**

"Geez foot-ball head watch where you're going!" Helga yelled at Arnold, shaking her fists at him. She had been walking home from school when she turned the corner and walked smack into him. She had fallen onto the concrete, her hands a bit scathed when she fell on them.

"Sorry Helga, I didn't see you there," he replied, offering his hand. She refused it however, and stood up by herself, the scowl still in place.

"Well next time keep your eyes open. You can't just run into people and expect them to forgive you all the time!" she yelled, stomping away. Arnold stopped short of rolling his eyes when he realized that she seemed more angry at him then she usually did. He wished he could ask her what was wrong, except for the fact that he preffered to keep his amrs and legs connected to his body. He had seen how strong Helga was, and he didn't intend on finding it out for himself. As Arnold wondered what could be bothering the ponytail-wearing girl, Helga continued to stomp until she reached the corner. When she was sure that no one was around, she took out her locket.

"Oh Arnold, why must I act this way? Is this truelly the only way to show my love for you? By pushing and shoving my way through your carresses?" she asked herself, honestly wondering why she allowed herself to act this way. She loved him more then normal capacity; it had practically overflowed from her heart, so what was the problem with her? Sighing, she carefully tucked the small locket into her jumper again, but not before punching Brainy, who had arrived moments earlier.

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3 Hours Later

"I can't BELIEVE I waited to take the bus at this hour?" Helga muttered to herself as she ran home. The air was chilly, which didn't help since Helga had forgotten to bring her jacket. Now she was running quickly from the park, trying to stay warm. The last thing she needed was to get sick. God knew how long she'd have to take care of herself, considering how little times Miriam ever cared for her.

Suddenly, her shoe caught on to a loose root growing from the concrete, and she fell, her knees hitting the ground first. The rocky concrete scathed her knees painfully, and Helga cried out in pain.

"Ouch! Ow, ow, ow!" she cried, clutching her knees. She looked them over carefully, checking to make sure that it wasn't anything too serious. There was no blood in sight, but it did leave a few pink scratches. Sighing, Helga slowly rose to her feet, trying to brush off the pebbles as carefully as possible to avoid any stinging. Ignoring the slight stings, she tried to run again, but then realized that a door had opened, and a pool of light was covering her. She looked up to the light, and saw a familiar football-shaped head looking at her with honest concern.

"Helga? What are you doing?" Arnold asked her, holding the door open.

"N-nothing Football head! I was just taking a walk, and I fell. Geez, can't a girl take a walk anymore without everyone asking?!" Helga yelled, her voice becoming more shrill as she tried to cover up her weak facade. She was pretty sure Arnold saw through it though, especially since he had both his eyebrows raised.

"Sure Helga. Wait, you fell?" he asked, finally taking notice of her pink knees. His expression went back to concern again. It was then that Helga noticed that part of her jumper had torn, more specifically, the bottom half.

"Yeah, so what? I can take of myself. In fact, I was going home anyway, so bye," she said quickly, trying to cover up her knees.

"Wait, Helga, the least I can do his put something on them. And my grandma can fix the hem of your dress so your parents don't find out. If you want," Arnold said, opening the door wider. Helga stopped short for a moment, her breath caught. He was offering to let her into his home, and he wanted to help her. She could see it in his eyes, since they always gave everything away.

"Sure football head, whatever you say," she said, rolling her eyes. She really was a good actress.

Quietly, Arnold led her inside his boarding house, the building warm. She caught the scent of apple cider and warm donuts, causing her mouth to water.

"Hey grandma, I need some help," Arnold called to Pookie, who was wearing a bright red kimono and stirring something in a large cauldren.

"What do you need Simba?" she asked, tasting the mixture from a wooden spoon. She made a face and added a cup of sugar, then turned her attention to the blonde-haired pair.

"Do you think you could fix Helga's jumper? She fell and it ripped," he stated plainly, glancing from grandmother to supposed enemy.

"Of course! Anything for you're little freinds," she exclaimed. She left the pair in the kitchen while she went to look for a needle and thread. Smiling, she heard the uncomfortable shuffle as Helga shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Helga glanced around the kitchen, taking in the bright wallpaper and wooden table. She realized that the apple scent came from the cauldren, and she sniffed a little more. She heard a cough from Arnold, who was giving her a strange look.

"What, Arnoldo, I like the smell of apples, okay, geez!" she defended herself, remembering what girl she needed to look like.

"Whatever you say Helga. Come on, I'll take you upstairs so we can do something about your knees," he said, gesturing for her to follow. She obligued, and they arrived in the restroom, which was miraculously unoccupied.

"Here, you probably just need some cream or something," Arnold muttered, and handed her a small bottle of cold cream. She uncapped the bottle, applied a small amount to her knee. It stung for a moment, but then decreased. Letting out a small sigh, she handed the bottle back to Arnold, who smiled gently at her. Her breath caught for a moment, before she mentally slapped herself.

"What are you staring at?" she questioned, her eyes feirce again. Arnold didn't stop smiling though, seeing through her facade.

"Oh nothing. Come one, my grandma still needs to fix your dress," he said, walking downstairs again. Sighing again, she followed him.

When they arrived into the living room, Gerty was kneeling down, sewing something to the carper. Before either one could question, she stood up and faced them again.

"Alright then, you stand here dear and I'll sew up the rip," she said, smiling nicely. Helga walked slowly to her, and spread her amrs out, not wanting to be poked by the needle. Gerty set to work, and began to fix the hem of the dress. Arnold stood nervously by the door, not sure whether to leave them alone or to wait so that he could escort Helga out. Before he could decide, however, Gerty was finished.

"Done. You can go home now if you like," she said, walking back to the kitchen to finish the cider.

"Thank you," Helga called, walking quickly towards the door. Arnold followed her, and opened the door for her. Helga muttered a "Thanks" before jumping off the steps in her hurry to get home.

"Wait!" Arnold called. Helga turned around slowly, anxious to know what he wanted to say.

"See you at school tomorrow," he said, before smiling once more and closing the door. Helga wanted to jump for joy and scream in happiness at the same time, but all she did was turn around and continue her rush to get home.


End file.
